19 Year Old Athlete Dies Of A Scarred And Inflamed Heart After Experimenting With Cocaine

Nineteen year United Kingdom citizen, Robbie Millward, and son of world famous rugby coach, Ian Milford died after he experimented with the drug cocaine .

Reports on the athlete’s death indicate that after he ingested the cocaine over a period two evenings, he experienced his first seizure and eventually suffered a heart attack that led to his death.

Upon returning home from shopping, Robbies’ 51 year old mother found her otherwise healthy and very fit athletic teenage son unconscious in their family home. Due to the fact that she is a trained professional nurse she immediately checked his pupils and administered CPR to her son before she subsequently called paramedics to arrive.

Although paramedics did arrive to transport the lifeless teenager to the local hospital he was pronounced dead upon arrival of the hospital.

In the meantime, toxicology evaluations of Milward’s body divulged that cocaine was indeed found in the teen’s system. Upon an autopsy, coroner’s personnel discovered that Milward’s heart was inflamed and scarred, allegedly due to the fact that he had consumed cocaine during a two evening period of experimentation.

Although close to his parents, Milward’s mother exclaimed in a courtroom, while holding the hands of family and friends, that she was unaware that her now-deceased son had used drugs.

Meanwhile, Milward’s father, a professional rugby coach, was away in France for work when he learned that his son had died.

Mrs. Millward went on to express her intent to do all she can to prevent someone else’s son from repeating the same mistake of experimenting with cocaine that her son has made. She emphasized speaking to children and young adults about the dangers of drug use. And although she did speak to her son about the dangers of cocaine before he denied using cocaine, and before his death, she still thinks that talking to children about drug abstinence is worthwhile.

Dr. Simon Suvarna, a consultant pathologist, explained that cocaine and other similar types of drugs often result in the user experiencing unwanted side-effects that he is often not even aware of. A common side effect and one that Robbie seems to have experienced was an overworked heart, which explains the inflammation and scarring of his heart.

Once the heart is damaged in this manner it does not heal itself, according to Dr. Suvarna. In fact, the result is further and chronic damage.

In conclusion, the take-home message is that light experimentation with drugs or consumption of a small amount of drugs does not mean it is safe. Using small quantities is not safe, abstinence is safe.

If you or anyone that you know is experiencing problems with cocaine addiction, please call us now.

About the Author

DeShawn McQueen is a staff writer at Recovery Now Newspaper and Recoverynowtv.com, an informative newspaper that serves as a resource for persons of all stages of drug and alcohol treatment, by giving them access to relevant and necessary information so that they may live balanced and substance-free lifestyles. DeShawn graduated from Wayne State University with Bachelor of Science degrees in psychology and premedical sciences. He holds a Juris Doctors degree in law from Valparaiso University School of Law. DeShawn’s writing and research has been published in such academic journals as Behavioral Pharmacology and Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior among others. He lives in Los Angeles, California.

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Comment Via Facebook

Emily, writes:
Cindy, I found a needle in my son’s room and what resembles Heroin. Clearly I need to seek treatment for my son. My question concerns Methadone, as that term has been coming up quite a bit as I’ve researched detox programs for him. Is Methadone maintenance a necessary component of recovery?

Cindy, writes:
Emily, Methadone maintenance is not necessary. With that said, research has demonstrated that Methadone maintenance treatment is an effective treatment for heroin and prescription narcotic addiction.

Troy from Nashville, TN writes:
Hi Cindy, I found out, probably a week and a half ago, that my son was doing Meth pretty heavily. He has flunked out of college, and is living with his girlfriend. I was hearing rumors about him using Meth, and had hoped it was just a one time thing, well it’s not. When I confronted him about it, he seemed delusional. He was telling me how he was seeing bugs coming out of his skin, hearing voices, and he went on telling me about conspiracies involving alien life forms. He is convinced that everyone is infected with parasites, and is even talking about drinking ammonia to kill these “parasites”. I have tried to get through to him, but I can’t seem to reach him. I know that if we don’t do something soon, I will lose him. I am afraid for my son’s life, and I know that something has to be done fast.

Cindy writes:
Hi Troy, thank you for writing in. I know this has to be tough for you to see your son being held captive by such a powerful drug. When Meth gets a hold of someone, it does not let go easily. Unfortunately, right now, the Meth has a hold of your son. You are correct when you say that something has to be done soon. You talked about when you spoke to your son, how he was very delusional, how he talked about seeing bugs and hearing voices. That person you spoke to was not your son, you were speaking to the drug. Your son is absent, but not gone. There are options available to help get your son back. An intervention could be a great starting point.This would give your son the opportunity to take to the first step, and accept the help he so desperately needs. Along with a period of detoxification, your son could then begin the treatment process. There is hope for your son, and with the right treatment plan, recovery is possible.